The First Step: Showstopping staircases

Descend, Ascend… Transcend

By Laurie Lynn Fischer/Life@Home

If your blank stairs draw blank stares from visitors, it’s time to step up your steps. After all, just because stairs are one of the most functional parts of a home doesn’t mean they can’t make a design statement.

“Go from a plain Jane style to something a bit more elaborate, maybe more contemporary,” says Bob Kurzon, principal of Kurzon Architects in Albany.

“It’s an overlooked opportunity, both in design and decoration,” says Jeff Germain, supervisor at A W Hamel Stair Manufacturing, Inc. in Scotia. “It is a primary impression of your home, because it’s most often the thing that you see when you walk in the front door. I love stairs for their architectural opportunities. They could look like a lot of different things — curved or straight, contemporary or traditional.”

The options for today’s staircases far exceed those of yesteryear, according to builder Peter Belmonte of Saratoga Lake. “We’re constantly trying to expand what we can do with stairs,” he says. “We’re always trying to exercise new ideas of making them attractive and intriguing.

When you walk into a traditional Colonial, you open the front door, and there’s the staircase. They’re not just plopped in the middle of the foyer anymore. Now, they might be a surprise around the corner. They’re becoming more integral to the house.”

Popular renovation projects include resurfacing treads, adding millwork appliqués to “dress it up” and changing balustrades, railings and newel posts, says Jim Sasko of Teakwood Builders. “Are they going to be an architectural focal point or a necessity to get you between floors? There’s the difference of how much money you put into the stairs,” he says.

Restoration is more expensive and labor intensive than replacement, Kurzon says. Materials for your average no-frills stairway, including railings, cost about $1,500, he says.

Eliminate walls, especially alongside the basement stairwell “so you don’t feel like you’re going down into a dungeon,” Sasko says.

FOOT FRIENDLY

When carpeting your stairs, think of those wedding pictures and go for what Michael Masucci calls “the wow factor.”

“Go for a pattern and style “that makes a statement,” says Masucci, owner of Ted’s Flooring and Interior Design in Albany. “Do something to make it distinctive.”

If you want to show off your wood floors, you might go for a decorative wool runner with an Oriental pattern or something more modern, Masucci says.

If you prefer wall-to-wall, he says, “You’re going to want a nylon carpet that is heavy, dense and durable — that’s going to take the abuse. Nylon is the strongest
fiber out there.”

Carpeting a 12 by 6 foot stairway can cost anywhere from $600 on up, he says. Before you buy, ask yourself:

Is it going to perform for what you need it to do?

Do you like it?

Does it feel good under your feet?

Always exercise caution when using stairs, he says. “Carpet will not make a staircase more or less slippery,” he says. “The only thing it can do is if you fall, it’s going to give you a little cushion.”

KNOW YOUR LIMITS

Stairways must fit into floor plans and meet building codes. Landings are required for every 12 feet in height. This equates to about 19 or 20 treads, Kurzon says.

The minimum width for a stairway is 3 feet. The rise or vertical dimension should be 8-1/4 inches or less. The run or horizontal dimension should typically be 9 or 10 inches per step. The pitch is ordinarily about 42 degrees, says Germain.

Spiral stairways need a six foot hole. The minimum diameter is 5-1/2 feet. If smaller, they’re not typically allowed as the only access, he says.

EXPERT ADVICE

If you’re designing, it pays to hire an architect.

“You’ll get a physical picture of where the stairway is going, what it’s connecting, how tall it needs to be and what the aesthetic will be,” Kurzon says. “We’re trained in a certain way to consider design and code implications.”

For a listing of architects by zip code, go to the New York State website of he American Institute of Architects: www.aianys.org

BRACE YOURSELF
One last thing — if new stairs are in your stars:

Mentally prepare for the dust and disruption.

Whatever you need had better be downstairs.

…and some cool staircase options

Spiral staircase photo courtesy Jim Sasko/Teakwood Builders.

Straight can be great
To jazz up your straight stairs:

Modernize with stone, tile or timber cladding.

Replace the handrail. “It’s “the most noticeable aesthetic part of the stair,” says Germain, who has seen “anything from log and twig handrails to glass and stainless steel.”

Remake your colonial stairway with brass stair rods, elegant woodwork or refined spindles. Wooden Victorian and Queen Anne style stairways are popular now and timeless enough to help the resale value of your house, especially if you choose quality materials.

Curvaceous and gracious
Curved stairways are impressive, but they take up 1-1/2 to 2 times what a normal straight stair would, says Germain.

Around and around
Spiral stairways overcome space challenges.
“They can be very unpleasant, but they have their place,” says Kurzon. “They take up very little room. You could not fit a normal non-spiral stairway in this little space. It’s not good for moving furniture. It’s good for casual use, like accessing a loft bedroom.”

Alternate alternative
Alternate tread stairs are another space-efficient stair design. Usually used to access a storage space, loft or attic, they’re steep and narrow, but foot placement is more comfortable than it would otherwise be with such a steep stair, Germain says.